One of the latest trends in business today is outsourcing. Through this, you get to hire employees to work for your business anywhere in the world. Of course, managing workers overseas through the internet can be a challenging task. It requires a lot of skill, patience, and diligence on your part as manager.
If you want to run your business well, here are some tips on how you can manage your employees online and overseas:
1. Hire the best people. If you want things to run smoothly, then hire only the best people for your business. Check their qualifications. Are their skills and work experience suitable to the job you’re offering? Will they be able to easily follow instructions and meet deadlines? Take note that each employee who works for you will have to contribute for the success of your business. If they perform well then your business will also do great but if they don’t then it will be a waste of time, money, and effort. Remember that human resource is the greatest asset of every business. If you hire only the best people, you will have less supervision and it will be easier to manage them.
2. Give rewards. If you want to motivate your employees, then you must know how to motivate them by giving them due reward. You can give them a raise or a bonus if they perform well or praise them when necessary. Saying “˜thank you’ to your workers also elicits loyalty, and in turn they will work and cooperate with you better.
3. Know your employee’s job. Even though you’re far from each other, you should know the basic functions of your employee. In case one of them fails to submit a report on a deadline, you can automatically do the job yourself or if they need more training, you yourself can teach them how to work effectively. This way, you show your employee how much you value the job given to him.
4. Keep communication lines open 24/7. You must make yourself readily available in case your workers need you or if they have some questions or clarifications. Exchange email addresses or phone numbers with them. Even if you’re just at home, check your email from time to time and make yourself available through social networking sites, Skype, or Yahoo Messenger so they can easily reach you. Remember that you must always talk with your employees, get their suggestions and feedback and correct their mistakes in a positive way.
5. Follow-up assignments. It may sound annoying, but it’s best if you constantly follow-up assignments given to your employees. You can send them reminders through email and encourage them to update you of their progress. You can maintain an online task manager/organizer to keep track of specific assignments.
As you can see, hiring employees online and overseas can be done if you consider tips such as these above. Just keep the communication open and be sure to follow up with them when needed.